PDF to Text – The Complete Simple Guide
When you convert PDF to Text, you take a PDF file and extract the words inside it into a plain text file (TXT). Then you can edit, copy, search, or reuse those words.
In this guide you’ll discover:
What “PDF to Text” means
Why you might want to do it
What changes or loses in conversion
Methods (desktop, online, apps)
Best tools to use
Mistakes to avoid
A full example
FAQs
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Let’s begin!
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Table of Contents
What Does “PDF to Text” Mean?
Why Convert PDF to Text?
What Can Be Lost or Change
Methods to Convert PDF to Text
4.1 Desktop / Offline Tools
4.2 Online Converters
4.3 Apps / Mobile ToolsTop Tools for PDF to Text Conversion
Benefits of Plain Text (TXT) Format
Mistakes & Pitfalls to Watch Out For
Step-by-Step Example: PDF → Text
FAQs
PDF to TXT converter
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1. What Does “PDF to Text” Mean?
When you convert PDF to Text, you extract all readable text from the PDF and save it into a plain .txt file. That means all the words become simple text, without fancy layout, images, or styling.
So PDF is like a book picture; Text is like typing all the words out in a simple notepad.
2. Why Convert PDF to Text?
You might want to convert PDF to text because:
You want to edit words easily
You want to search words quickly
You want to reuse words in other documents
You want a lightweight file (TXT is small)
You want to access text from scanned PDFs
Converting gives you freedom to manipulate the content.
3. What Can Be Lost or Change
When converting PDF → Text, many things are lost or changed:
Formatting (fonts, colors, paragraphs) is lost
Images, graphs, decorations are removed
Layout, columns, page breaks may be scrambled
Some characters may not convert well (diacritics, special symbols)
If the PDF was scanned as an image without OCR, you may end with nothing unless OCR is used
So plain text is raw content — less pretty, more usable.
4. Methods to Convert PDF to Text
You can convert in multiple ways: desktop tools, online converters, and apps.
4.1 Desktop / Offline Tools
Using offline software is good for privacy and big files.
Using a PDF reader / editor: Some let you “Save as Text” or “Export → Plain Text.”
Using command line tools like
pdftotext(part of the Poppler / Xpdf tools) — powerful and simple.Using OCR software like ABBYY FineReader or Tesseract for scanned PDFs.
These let you control conversion, batch process files, and keep files local.
4.2 Online Converters
These are easy: go to a website, upload PDF, convert, download text.
Here are two great external tools:
PDF2Go – PDF to Text converter with OCR support. (pdf2go.com)
FreeConvert – PDF to Text online converter. (freeconvert.com)
To use:
Visit PDF2Go or FreeConvert.
Upload your PDF file.
Select “Convert to TXT / Text.”
If PDF is scanned, enable OCR.
Convert and download the TXT file.
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4.3 Apps / Mobile Tools
On phone or tablet:
Some PDF viewer apps allow extracting text.
Online converters work via mobile browser.
OCR scanner apps let you convert scanned PDFs into text.
5. Top Tools for PDF to Text Conversion
Here are two reliable tools you can suggest:
PDF2Go – supports PDF to Text conversion with OCR. (pdf2go.com)
FreeConvert – lets you convert PDF to TXT online. (freeconvert.com)
They are solid picks, but your site’s tools should be front and center.
6. Benefits of Plain Text (TXT) Format
Plain text has many advantages:
Very small file size
Easy to edit on any device
Fast to search & scan
No styling or formatting issues
Compatible with most programs
When you convert PDF to Text, you simplify content — you get the “words inside” with no frills.
7. Mistakes & Pitfalls to Watch Out For
When doing PDF → Text, people often slip up:
Not using OCR for scanned PDFs → end up with blank text
Choosing bad OCR settings → incorrect characters
Converting huge PDFs at once → slow or crash
Mistaking formatting symbols or invisible control characters
Using untrusted sites → leak private content
Always test on one file first, and review carefully.
8. Step-by-Step Example: PDF → Text
Let’s do a sample conversion using PDF2Go:
Go to PDF2Go → PDF to Text converter. (pdf2go.com)
Upload your PDF file.
If it’s scanned, tick OCR option.
Click “Start / Convert.”
Wait a few seconds.
Download the .txt file.
Open it in Notepad or any editor and review the words.
Another example using FreeConvert:
Visit FreeConvert → PDF to Text. (freeconvert.com)
Upload PDF.
Convert to TXT.
Download result.
Open in editor and check content.
If your PDF has selectable text already, conversion is simpler — no OCR needed.
9. FAQs
Q: Can I convert scanned PDF to Text?
A: Yes, if the tool supports OCR (Optical Character Recognition). Without OCR, you’ll only get nothing or gibberish.
Q: Will formatting survive?
A: No. Text file loses fonts, colors, layout; only content (words) remains.
Q: Are online converters safe?
A: Many use encryption and delete files later. But avoid uploading private, sensitive docs to unknown services.
Q: Can I batch convert many PDFs to text?
A: Yes — some tools (desktop or online) allow batch conversions.
Q: What about characters in other languages or symbols?
A: OCR or conversion tools may misinterpret unusual fonts or symbols — always check.
Q: Can I convert PDF to text in Linux or Mac command line?
A: Yes. Tools like pdftotext or poppler-utils allow command line conversions.